1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of call distribution in a CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) system typified by a call center or help desk, and, in particular, to a technique of call distribution using plural types of media.
2. Related Art Statement
As a conventional technique of call distribution in a CTI system, there is known ACD (Automatic Call Distribution), which has been used in a telephone system. In this technique, a call that arrives at a PBX (private branch exchange) from a customer is connected to an extension to an operator who is free among the operators whose extensions are connected to that private branch exchange.
Recently, according to developments in electronics, it has become possible to use various media for communication, such as E-mail, Internet telephony, and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), in addition to conventional media such as telephone and facsimile. Accordingly, it is to be desired that a CTI system be also adapted for those various media.
In order to adapt a CTI system for various media, it is desirable that a same operator can use various types of media in order to have conversation with customers, not that each operator is assigned to one type of media. For example, it is to be desired that each operator be provided with both a telephone and a computer for CSCW so that the operator uses the telephone to have a telephone conversation with a customer and uses the computer to have a conversation with a customer in CSCW. However, when the above-mentioned ACD as it stands is applied to a CTI system, ACD takes only telephone calls into consideration to distribute those telephone calls. Thus, it sometimes happen that plural types of media, which carry out real-time communication, distribute communications to one operator, who, however, can not deal with a plurality of communications at the same time. For example, a telephone call may be distributed to a telephone of an operator who is already involved in an electronic conversation with a customer whose call has been received in CSCW.
When a call connection request from a customer arises, and there does not exist an operator who can deal with the call through the medium of that request, then, no response will be made to that call.
An object of the present invention is to provide a CTI system that can deal with plural types of media and can properly distribute calls among operators.
Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to respond to a call connection request from a customer without spoiling service quality, even if there does not exist an operator who can respond to that call through the medium of that request, when that request arises in a CTI system adapted for various media.
To achieve those objects, the present invention provides a multimedia call distribution system comprising a plurality of call connection devices that connect calls of respective types of media different from one another, a multimedia call distribution device, and a plurality of terminal devices that can perform communication by calls of plural different types of media.
Each of the call connection devices comprises an inquiry means for inquiring the multimedia call distribution device about a terminal device to which a call is to be connected, when a call connection request is received, and a connection means for connecting the call to the terminal device informed as a response to said inquiry, by the multimedia call distribution device.
The multimedia call distribution device comprises monitoring means for monitoring communication conditions of each terminal device about respective types of media, and connection destination deciding means for selecting one terminal device that performs real-time communication and is not involved in communication, when an inquiry is received from the call connection device about a terminal device to which a call of real-time communication is connected, the connection destination deciding means informing the call connection device that has issued the inquiry, of the selected device as a response to said inquiry.
According to the present invention, for each operator""s terminal device, communication conditions of calls of all the type of media for which CTI system is adapted are supervised, to decide an operator""s terminal to which a call from a customer is to be connected, based on those communication conditions. As a result, it is prevented that a plurality of calls performing real-time communication at the same time is assigned to the same operator.
The present invention also provides media conversion means. When there does not exist a terminal device that can be selected, the media conversion means connects to the call for which the inquiry has issued to receive the contents of the communication, and converts the received communication contents into a call of a different type of media. As a result, even when there does not exist an operator who can connect a call of the customer, it is possible to provide high quality response for customers, for example by performing media conversion to receive a customer""s request as mail, or requesting a customer to change a media type used for contact.